Three Barrel Wood

Although much shrunken from its ancient boundaries, the Three Bareel Wood is still vast and mysterious. Larger than some kingdoms, it’s big enough to encompass mountains within its depths. It is home to treants of gigantic size, stags with antlers as wide across as a wagon, brown bears bigger than large sheds, owlbears, wolves, and unicorns.
Woodcutters and even outlaws on the run dare visit only the verges of the Three Barrel Wood, or the roads leading to the Merrick. As everyone knows, those who venture too deep are seldom seen again.
Three Barrel Wood is a dense, old world forest. The forest bed is moss and foliage. It is quiet, yet animals abound in the woods. Sound does not travel far. As a result, it is easy to be ambushed, attacked from a distance, or trapped.

History

The Three Barrel Wood is and old forest that few enter. It stands just a few miles from the nearby Verdan city of Merrick, but the city’s inhabitants know better than to enter the woods. Fables, legends, and stories abound of a mystical force that comes to life when the forest is threatened.
But that doesn’t stop opportunists from taking more than their fair share from the verdant Three Barrel Wood.
Just a few years ago, a lowly acolyte of the White Tower in Merrick ventured to a magical spot within the forest. Reading from an ancient book beyond her skills, she recited a ritual and cut five small branches from a specific tree named in the tome. The acolyte grabbed the branches, and rushed from the forest. The tree, incapable of doing anything in the face of such Magic, died shortly after.
And that’s when the troubles started.
No one knows what the acolyte wanted the branches for. She was murdered shortly after in the streets of Merrick, the book and branches long gone. But the spirit of Three Barrel Wood would not ignore what happened. She birthed five dryads that day, one for each missing branch. The first, she named Patious and gave her the most strength. The others became her children and servants in her quest to destroy Merrick.
Every movement near the edge of Three Barrel became dangerous for the people of Merrick. A simple tradesman passing by or a lumberer cutting down a tree on the forest edge met with the same fate — a faceless attacker maiming, but not killing the assailant. Rumors spread of vicious brigands who would soon make demands of the city. Other people spoke of spirits of the dead, haunting the city for its greed and debauched ways. Every possible theory turned into a superstitious rumor.
And the fear grew.
Despite the warnings, some people are still foolish to enter Three Barrel Wood, especially children and teenagers set on daring one another to do something stupid.

Type

Woods